


Give and Take

by purplelarkspur



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Drug Use, M/M, Marijuana
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-27
Updated: 2013-03-27
Packaged: 2017-12-06 16:12:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/737622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/purplelarkspur/pseuds/purplelarkspur
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Souji has no idea how to ask for help or rely on others. Yosuke scolds him and steals some of his weed. They’re both idiots who should have put on some real pants.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Give and Take

It’s 3 AM and your insomnia has taken over. This is an altogether unsurprising turn of events. The house is just too quiet for you to settle down.

Slowly, softly, you push your blanket off, and sit up on your futon. You rest your head on your arm, eyes unfocused. They wander around the room a bit; sliding from the cranes you fruitlessly folded, to the model robots rusting away on your shelf, to the motionless television where you know shadows would gladly ensnare you into darkness.

You stand up, and you leave.

You’ve nothing more than a thin jacket on over pajamas and the November air bites at you accordingly. In your pockets are your phone, rolling paper, a lighter, and a few buds.

After minutes of walking you retire to the riverbed, settling on a bench near the river. As you start rolling, a cat hops up next to you and affectionately head butts your knee. Your expression softens into a smile, and you pet the feline after you finish rolling your joint. It starts purring as you lean back on the bench, and the cat takes the cue and jumps onto your lap, curling up into a ball.

You light your joint, inhale the pot slowly, and exhale even slower, absently watching the smoke billow upwards. “You should be asleep already, buddy.”

The cat purrs, not looking up. You brush your gray hair out of your eyes. “I don’t even need to be out right now. It’s not like I have a cop living with me anymore. Out here any old coot can walk by and see me. But I’m so used to sneaking out, it makes me feel a little better.” Your head starts to fog up a bit as you take another hit. “So I’m sitting here telling my problems to a cat. It’s completely expected from me, I guess.”

The cat glances up at you, and yawns a bit. You scratch the cat behind its ears. “Maybe I should call someone.”

Your eyes droop, and your clouded mind starts to egg you on. You concede and flip open your phone, sifting through your contacts until Yosuke’s name glares up from the bright screen.

You hesitate and take another hit. Are you really willing to wake up Yosuke at 3 AM just because you’re feeling down?

The cat bumps its head against your phone, nearly knocking it out of your hands. You decide that that was a sign from above to do it, and hit the dial button on your phone.

It rings a good five times, and you don’t expect him to answer. But finally, a groggy voice answers, _“It’s 3 AM.”_

You laugh quietly to yourself. “It totally is.”

_“Are you dying right now? This had better be an emergency.”_

You shift a bit in your seat, suddenly sheepish. “Not really. It’s actually no big deal. You can go back to bed if you want.”

Yosuke groans, the phone making his sigh sound like static. _“Partner,_ talk, _for once, god.”_

“Wanna sneak out and smoke weed?”

_“Where are you?”  
_

* * *

 

 

Within minutes Yosuke is sitting next to you, Junes pajamas on his legs and a bulky coat covering his pajama shirt. He’s coughing as he inhales and blows the weed right out and generally is making a bunch of amateur mistakes that you can’t help but find endearing. On one hand, he couldn't help but scold you a bit when he found out you indulged in marijuana from time to time. On the other hand, when you offered to let him try it, he was quick to give in.

He tried so hard to be cool. It never worked; he was much better when he was being himself anyway.

“Partner,” he starts, coughing a bit, “I know Nanako being in the hospital is getting to you, but you’re going to die of hypothermia out here and then the case will never get solved.”

You shrug. “Eh, whatever.”

Yosuke glares up at you. “Don’t say gloomy stuff like that.”

You don’t say anything, just take another hit and lean back against the bench.

“Hey, I mean it. I know you think you can do anything you want, but that shit is frustrating, okay?! I don’t like hearing about my best friend wandering around in the middle of the night freezing his ass off!”

A lecture, of all the times to have one…

“Look, Yosuke, I didn’t mean it like that,” you say, trying to calm him down. “I’ve just been a little overwhelmed lately. Please understand that.”

“I do understand that! But I just…” Yosuke scratches the back of his head, looking to the side, annoyed. “I think the weed’s got me all sentimental but… You’re my best friend and you’re wandering around lately like a ghost ready to die and it just... It worries me, okay? It’s like you feel like you let us down and that’s not it. It’s like you’re punishing yourself and I’m just sitting by and watching you pretend you’re okay, like you always do.”

“I don’t always do that.”

“Yes you do! You’re always cool and calm and collected and I don’t buy it.”

You’re both quiet after that, eyes transfixed on the water in front of you. You’re the first to break the silence. “…I called you, didn’t I?”

You notice a small quirk in the corner of Yosuke’s lips. “It’s an improvement, I guess. I mean, we said we were equals at this riverbed, didn’t we? So you gotta let me help you as much as you help me.”

Your cheeks burn a bit from the memory. “Yeah, got it.”

You know he’s frustrated and angry too. It makes you feel worse for choosing now to relieve some of your burden. But since he’s being so receptive, you can’t help but want to push it. So you lean your head against his shoulder, ready to blame the drugs for any strange behavior, even if you didn’t have that much, even if your head is only a little fogged up.

But he stays there, and doesn't move or say anything. He just brings the joint up to his mouth. His lips part slightly and you see his tongue from your vantage spot and lord you have to contain yourself a little.

He suddenly chuckles a little, in an almost defeated way. “You suck, Souji.”

You quirk your eyebrows in confusion. “Why’s that?”

“Because you get me all drugged up and stuck in the cold outside one of the places most important to me and get me all worried about you…” He laughs again. “For someone who’s so good with a lot of different people, you’re really frustrating after a while.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Yosuke.”

He turns his face towards you, so you sit up straight again. He’s smiling, and his expression is a strange cross between resigned and relieved. “You’re the only person that’s ever made everything so goddamn complicated for me, you know that? I used to be so simple before you.”

And he kisses you. His breath tastes like cheap gum and weed.

When he pulls back he jerks backwards, red and sheepish. You realize you’re blushing a little too. And for some reason you feel like that kiss uncorked some emotions that were welling inside of you, and were rising to the surface now. You try to hold in tears, but Yosuke notices the sudden shift in mood. “Am I really that bad at kissing?!”

You laugh, and you can’t help but let a tear fall. “No, no, I just…haha, I’m sorry for calling you out here, but I am upset, and I hate that house right now, and I hate being alone with my thoughts, and that’s why I called you. I’m not coming on to you or anything, so don’t think this is weird, but can you come over for the night?”

Yosuke looks a bit taken aback. He regains his composure to the best of his ability. “Uh, sure, partner. Jeez. Is that what this is about? You were too proud or embarrassed to ask for some company?” He pats you on the back and stands up. “You’re so hopeless, Souji. Come on, let’s go back.”

You stand up and hug him tightly, already close to blubbering. He rubs your back and tells you to hurry up, he’s getting cold. You can’t wait to whine all night.


End file.
